Tag Archives: queen village

Back in 2006, this used to be one of the only massive, relatively inexpensive places to buy art supplies in Center City. Of course you had your smaller stores including the school book store and Utrecht but these didn’t compare to the three floors packed with art supplies at Pearl. Well a couple years later, Pearl closed their doors for good while Utrecht expanded and Blick made their way to Center City.

The old Pearl building that sits at 4th and South in the Queen Village neighborhood, has remained unoccupied since then. Years of discussion and talk of what this could be and finally some creative ideas have surfaced. The plan is for this space to be converted into art studios. Including retail space, ground floor gallery and a roof top entertainment area. Studios would be rented monthly at $250 and offered a space for gallery showings.

Plans are to open this Summer 2014. Although a new designed facade and interiors will not be present until 2015. Considering the rise of art programs, schools and encouraged creative thinking, this was a smart move. We’re happy to see a creative, community learning space come to South Street.

Coming Fall 2014 you will start to see many more bikes traveling these city streets. The city has committed millions of dollars in capital funds to this Bike Share project that may have you rethink how you get around. Their goal is to implement the Bike Share in zones of Center City and surrounding neighborhoods. When the project is at completion they hope to see between 150-200 Bike Share stations docking nearing 1,500 bikes.

(Photo Source: http://www.phila.gov/bikeshare)

Bike Share will be prominent in neighborhoods such as Bella Vista, Queen Village, Passyunk Square, South Philadelphia, West Philadelphia, Temple University all the way to the Navy Yard. At the most recent Bella Vista Neighbors Association meeting, this was discussed in great detail by the Mayors Office of Transportation and Utilities as Bella Vista would have a Bike Share station implemented.

The Bike Share program wouldn’t be for your everyday bike rider. This program would be targeted at students, tourists, anyone who does not own a bike. This would become one more option of transportation similar to jumping on the bus or walking. Yearly and monthly memberships will be offered. They price comparable to other major cities with Bike Share options. A single ride could be bought for under $10.

These bikes will be large, heavy and uniquely designed for Bike Share. They will be three-speed and made with hard to replace parts hoping to deter theft. Philadelphia will become the 37th city to offer a Bike Share program. As a non-bike rider living in Center City Philadelphia (for reasons of erratic Philly drivers) I am still excited to see this change come to the city as it promotes outdoor, physical activity. Although, I would consider making one change and make the helmet policy mandatory.

What used to be home to South Philadelphia Florists is now on the market. Including the 4 apartments in the same building. Located at 10th and Wharton, the asking price on this property is a pretty penny, coming in at close to $590K. All four apartments are included in the asking price but notes suggest that the floral shop could be sold separately. This location is a high foot traffic area as Pat and Geno’s are right down the block across from the active Capitolo Playground. So who wants to stop and smell the flowers?!

(Photo Source: nakedphilly.com)

Flowers on your mind?! Maybe you’d like to invest in a smaller space – formerly a flower shop and private residence. An ideal location right across from the singing fountain in East Passyunk, this listing iz zoned for commercial use and could be used in a variety of ways (commercial on three floors, commercial on first and second with living quarters on the third floor, etc., etc…) Options are endless! This might be the best location in all of Passyunk Square! All it needs is your vision and some TLC. Please view more info on this listing or contact Larry Levin.

If you’re a vintage and/or antique collector your weekend’s just got a little sweeter. Recently opened, Nostalgia is located at 704 s. 5th Street (5th and Bainbridge) and offers all ends of vintage memorabilia ranging from sunglasses to cameras. This boutique will also be showcasing local artists throughout the year along with many other in store events. Get your shop on before heading to the Good King Tavern for some drinks and french inspired eats.

Located at 7th and Kater, Good King Tavern‘s recent opening has triggered some talk around the neighborhood. Offering some cuisine diversity, we feel this is a great addition to Bella Vista. So go ahead, take a Saturday to stroll and get your grub on while wearing your new vintage shades!

By Summer 2014, the Delaware Waterfront may look a little different. Recently, the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation (DRWC) was awarded a $5 million grant from the William Penn Foundation. This grant is to work on two pier parks in Pennsport. For years, communities and neighborhoods have seen I-95 as a barrier to the waterfront. The goal is to find ways to connect these astray neighborhoods to the river. The key is connector streets. Work is to be conducted from Pier 53 to 70.

(Image Source: Pennsporter)

Current View of Pier 68 (Image Source: Planphilly.com)

This includes Pier 68, 390 feet of useable land that extends over the river. Pier 68 has high hopes and plans as initial talks have already stated the possible Bassmaster’s Fishing Tournament in August 2014. This Pier would remain open for public fishing opportunities. The Washington Avenue Connector will be accompanied with a Tasker Street Connector to give more direct access to Pier 68. The DRWC has a long agenda and plans to create a waterfront easily accessible by it’s neighborhoods, to preserve land and natural beauty of the Delaware waterfront. Can you imagine strolling down to Pier 68 with bait and hook?!

This Friday-Sunday bring the whole family out to the Independence Seaport Museum (211 S. Columbus Blvd). Between the quaint neighborhoods of Old City and Queen Village, the 2nd annual Seaport Festival is a weekend long adventure that will showcase Tall Ships, arts and crafts, live music, Philly food trucks and other family activities on the Delaware waterfront. Don’t miss the ‘Parade of Boats’ on Friday October 11th from 5-7pm, as they arrive from Penn’s Landing.

(Image Source: phillyseaport.org)

You can join in the parade by purchasing tickets to be aboard these ships. Or watch for free at the landing. On Saturday, don’t miss the Pirate Battles, as ships shoot canons back and forth to one another on the river. If this just caught your attention, you can get one step closer to the action by purchasing a ticket to be aboard during these Pirate Battles. To read more information and purchase tickets click here.

In Queen Village, parents are having trouble finding decent and reliable child care for their infants and toddlers. These families have joined long waiting lists to deal with limited options when it comes to days, activities, food and education for their children. A headache for many residents, there is a shortage and demand for childcare.

At 420 Bainbridge Street, this 4,000 square foot location used to be the Life Management Medical Center. You will soon see Natalie Renn open her second location of The Giving Tree Infant and Toddler Center…if the license comes through. Her first location was specifically for daycare and preschool in the Logan Square area of Philadelphia.

(Image Source: thegivingtreedaycare.com)

Their focus and mission is to provide exceptional child care for infants and toddlers under trained and professional supervision. Natalie trains her employees to focus on early childhood development, communication techniques, sleeping strategies and eating patterns.

They will offer a variety of learning and physical activities including; baby and me yoga classes, an inside mini gym, a backyard for play, trips to local playgrounds and parks. Just a few weeks away, they’re expecting to open their doors October but were talking about a license from the Department of Public Welfare. Hoping we do see them open soon, we need more Natalie’s in Philadelphia!

At 108 Titan Street in the Pennsport section of Philadelphia sits a slab of concrete surrounded by metal guardrails. This has been a site for sore eyes for more than a year. Early construction plans included talk of making this plot into homes. Good news… green is on the way! The Community Design Collaborative recently received a grant for the redesign project of Titan Park over the next 6 months. Volunteers and community members are urged to help participate in speeding this process along. Volunteers will have the chance to meet with the Community Design Collaborative two times to discuss design ideas and plans. We look forward to following this project and finally seeing some green grass.. maybe?!

(Image Source: passyunkpost.com)

Just north of Pennsport, over Washington Avenue, Queen Village and Meredith School are proud to announce the first annual Meredith School 5K Run/Walk on Saturday, September 21st. At 9AM, you can join in the community with friends and neighbors and run or walk through the Queen Village neighborhood as well as surrounding areas. There are several ways you can get involved. Become a Sponsor. Show off your kicks and run. Organize a team and walk. You can also participate by being a volunteer. Individual tickets are $35 and all proceeds of this run support Meredith School programs and help preserve the excellence of their students. Find out more details and register here.